Hi Leigh! Our family tradition when I was a kid started out as the typical milk and cookies left for Santa, but it strangely turned into Wine and Cheese one year and remained that way for the duration! LOL!

Another funny story about one Christmas: My Aunt and Uncle used to spend Christmas with our family every year, and my Uncle, who was so funny, used to always surprise us with strange and unusual little gifts in our stockings. The one that stands out the most in my memory though, was the year we all got a lump of coal in our stockings! Now, I'm sure you all know that that is supposed to mean that you were naughty during the year, so you can imagine how shocked we little angels were! Each piece of coal was beautifully wrapped in red foil paper with a pretty ribbon wrapped around it and a bow, too! After we all unwrapped our "gift", we were just looking at Uncle pete for an explanation! He said, "now wait a minute everyone, we're not finished yet!" He then handed my dad a box to unwrap and inside was a little hibachi grill! That was what the coal was for! LOL! Needless to say we had a mini barbecue out in the snow that day! Gosh, I really miss my Uncle Pete...

— Donna

One Christmas I bought a package of Reindeer food at the store. It was oats and hay mixed. My DD, at the age where they start to question Santa, placed it on the front lawn on the 24th and went to bed. Before checking under the tree on Christmas morning, she went to see if the reindeer had eaten their treat.It was all gone, surrounded by hoof prints in the snow where the neighborhood deer had feasted. She was so excited. Her father and I had another year believing in the magic of Santa and she had her "proof"!

— Jeanie

Well, since i'm not married yet...I can only post the traditions my family has.....

The day after Thanksgiving, without fail, the Christmas decorations go up. It's the first time Christmas music can be listened to....and everything is done in one day....if lights are going on the house, they go up that day. The entire house is decorated by the time we go to bed... because we decorate all day, we always go out to eat...then come back and appreciate all the work we did to make the house beautiful. Oh! And we always make hot chocolate and gluvine (sp?)...yum!

— Misti

My favorite Christmas traditions happen on Christmas Eve. Since my parents are divorced and my Dad is a mechanic at the local AAA garage and always works on Christmes day, we have him over for dinner the night before. Sometimes he just eats and runs but sometimes he will sit and talk our ears off for the evening (we like those nights the best! Last year he told us some great stories about his grandmother.) After he heads home to bed, we go over to my in-law's house where my mother-in-law has put out a great spread of candies, finger foods, wassil.... ummm yummy stuff and then we read the story of the Nativity from the Bible and sing Christmas Carols. For instance, after we read about Mary wrapping the Baby in swaddling clothes and laying him in the manger, we sing "Away in a Manger". The Living room is lit with candles and lights from the tree and it makes for a very reverent, joyous, spiritual evening. (Very different from the hustle and bustle of Christmas day!)

— Virginia

My mom always made peanut blossoms for her Christmas cookies. You know, the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's Kisses on top? I was so happy this year when I got to start that as my new family's tradition. We always got our Christmas tree on Dec. 19th, my dad's birthday. When we got it home, Dad would put on A Charlie Brown Christmas and we'd decorate the tree. Every year, my mom bought my brother and sister and I a new ornament so when we left the nest, we'd have a tree full of ornaments! I can't wait to have kids so I can start my own traditions!

— Shades